The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-09-11
LET NO ONE TRESSPASS.
Ny Friends will not disturb this
place. My Enemies snail not.
Sept. %, 1865. LEN CLINTON.
Sept. %, 1865.
LEN CLINTON,

! "Len Clinton" continued old man
| Plunket, "s.ood six feet two inches in
his stocking feet, and was just % years
old, and not er pound of surplus flesh
erbout him. He was the best shot in
| North Alabama, and warn't Altered to
| back up what he thought was right.
| rnar was lots er disagreements during
war, and more especially here in
these mountains. Len didn't have
nothing to do with politics or war for er
long time, for he warn't a man to talk
much, but it got so arter awhile that it
warn't safe for nobody to travel Ground
ermopg these mountains for one side or
the other was morn apt to put er bullet
into you when you warn't thinking err
bout it. One day erlong in the latter
part of '63 Len was over to old man Bur-
rows still, and while he was thar er-
bout fourteen er fifteen of tn bush
whacking gang came up. Thar warn't
none of the bushwhackers that hankered
after any trouble with Len, so they sot
GROUND and talked and drank, and
drank and talked till erlong up in the
day erlong come old man Edwards's
boy going to mill with turn of wheat.
OLD Edwards was terrible jeff Davis
man, and bushWhackers warnt ergwine
to let him get any milling done If they
could help it. They stopped the boy,
and all of 'em got out in the road
Ground him, and they had the little fell
low scared to death, and he commenced
to beg EN-, but they had their heads set
on devilment and they war bound to
have trouble. One of 'em cut the bag
open and let the wheat run out on the
ground and one of 'em stuck his knife
in the old mare just to see her jump and
some OF 'em said let's give the boy a
good whipping and send him back to his
old rebel dad, and it was no sooner said
than right 10 cutting switches they
went and the boy was crying and begging
and Len he'd sot thar on an old bench
and hadn't said nothing yet, but all of
sudden he grabbed his old gun, and
sprang behind er tree and then he
lowed:
The first man that lays er switch Oh
that boy, I'll git him
The bushwhackers got furious then
ana grabbed thar guns and the captain
OF the gang come down ercross the boy
with switch, and as he did the crack
of Lens gun was herd and it settled
that captain. Lens gun cracked ergin
and another of the busbwhackers fell
and then they all took to trees, for thew
knowed Len had two pistols with him
and he was just as good with er pistol as
he was with gun. From that time on
Len Clinton was looked on as er Jeff
Davis man, and he had to keep his eye
skunt according.
"In less than no time 1t was well
known that Len Clinton was great jeff
Davis man, and he pretty soon was
made captain of his side, and thar war
thirty or forty fellows that didn't want
no better fun than to follow Len to re
cover stolen property or to avenge the |
wrongs committed by the bushwhackers |
of the other side. Len was just begin
ming to git things Strengthened out in |
his settlement so as fellow could sorter |
live, when in pops one er these here con-
script officers and tells him he must go |
to the war.
live got enough war right here in |
these mountains, said Len.
But the conscript officer he raised er
row and tried 10 make him go and he |
couldn't, and he had to leave there faster
than he come, and he done mighty well
to get erway at all.
1T warn't long after this till one night
Len he heered horses feet, and he
knowed thar was trouble. He lit outen
bed and got fixed for er fight, and he
bowed his horn to call up help, and he
knowed he'd have help in a few minutes,
and the fellows that was Ground his
house knowed it, too, so they let in to do
what they did do in mighty quick order.
1t was the conscript officer that was
there erlong with er lot of cavalry that
he'd been over to Wedowee and got, and
thew war gwIne to take Len dead or
erlive. They didn't take him though,
but they beat down that front door
wonder and fired right into the house
and the balls killed TWO sweet little girls
of Lens and by this time Lens crowd
was in hearing and their horses hoofs
could be heerd, so the cavalry and the
officer fairly flew away from
here and outen these mountains Lens
two little girls were killed and they are
buried right down yonder by that tree.
and there is a block cut outen the tree
and a piece of plank is fit into it that
has the names of all that cavalry crowd |
on it. and Len he knelt down by his liz
IL L